As a pre-med student in an undergrad program, the thought of medical school is exciting.

You’re looking forward to learning clinical skills and doing rotations. You’re ready to study hard so you can ace all of your exams. You’re prepared to do whatever it takes to match with your top choice residency program.

Medical school will put you one step closer to realizing your dream of becoming a doctor, but you will have to face many challenges. Fortunately, there are some ways to make the experience a little bit easier.

Here are five tips to help you navigate the challenges of medical school that will also benefit you throughout your career.

Establish a Work-Life Balance

As a med student, school is your job, and just like any other job, you need to maintain a work-life balance.

Working as a full-time physician is stressful. Physicians have many responsibilities and work under a great amount of pressure, so it’s essential that you create a balance between your personal life and work life. Learning how to establish and maintain a work-life balance as a med student is essential.

No matter how much pressure you’re under to ace your exams and match with the residency program of your choice, you must devote time to your personal life and your personal health and wellness. That includes making time for self-care, developing good sleep habits, and maintaining relationships with family and friends.

Create a Realistic Schedule 

Between classes and clinical rotations, an overwhelming amount of information and experience will come your way during med school. But you cannot study all the time.

A realistic schedule is a must, and that means carving out time for breaks, wellness, and downtime. This goes hand-in-hand with creating a work-life balance.

Establish a routine that includes time for classes, time for wellness, and time for studying. Add to that the must-have hours for downtime, sleeping, and studying on your own or with peers. The most effective schedule is the balanced one.

Find a Support System

From fellow students and alumni to practicing physicians and professors, it’s important to surround yourself with people that can support you and that you can support in return.

Professors and practicing physicians can become mentors that can provide guidance and advice for decades. Peers that face the same pressures as you can be a great sounding board whether you need to vent your frustrations, gather for a much-needed study session, or relax over dinner or a cup of coffee.

Learn Stress Management Techniques

Physician burnout is real, and it’s quite common. Doctors work under intense amounts of pressure, so along with establishing a work-life balance and having a support system around you, it’s important to learn stress management techniques.

According to the most recent AMA national burnout survey, nearly 63% of physicians report symptoms of burnout. To prevent burnout before it happens, put these stress management tools to work for you:

• Regular exercise
• Deep breathing
• Healthy eating
• Meditation
• Practicing mindfulness

Explore Career Options

Your third and fourth years of medical school are crucial. In addition to attending classes and doing your clinical rotations you’ll also have to put future career plans in place.

By the beginning of your fourth year of med school you’ll start applying to residency programs, so you’ll need to decide ahead of time which specialty or area of medicine you want to pursue. For some students, this is one of the hardest decisions to make.

During your first two years of medical school, carve out some time to research different specialties.

Consider how much training and how many years of residency are required. Research salary potential and which locations have a high demand for physicians in that specialty. Look into what physicians in that specialty have to say about their work-life balance, satisfaction levels, and burnout rates.

Lifestyle, happiness, and compensation reports (like this one) are great sources of information that can help steer you into or away from certain specialties and career choices.

In Conclusion

Medical school can be incredibly stressful, and many med students feel an immense amount of pressure as they take this next step in their career.

So create a work-life balance, learn stress management techniques, and prioritize your own health and wellness. Establish a realistic schedule and lean on your support system when need be. Take a proactive approach to the challenges that lie ahead and know where you’re headed in your career.

These skills won’t just make med school less overwhelming — they’ll also serve you well throughout your medical career.